


The Deal

by TaraHarkon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Death Eater Draco Malfoy, F/M, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Vanishing Cabinet, reluctant death eater, secret meetings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-20 03:26:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4771694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaraHarkon/pseuds/TaraHarkon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Draco, I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll help you fix this. But you have to promise me something.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Deal

Hermione ducked through the door while the student in the hall, who she presumed was either Crabbe or Goyle, was distracted. After all, hadn’t they known since second year that you could distract either one of that pair with a plate of sweets? She wasn’t sure why Harry hadn’t just tried this by now, being perfectly honest. Wasn’t he the one who was always convinced that Draco Malfoy was up to something? Looking around the Room of Requirement, she frowned slightly. It was full of things. Everything from absolutely worthless junk to priceless treasures and everything in between was stacked up and scattered about this room. And there was Draco, standing gazing pensively at a cabinet. She crept closer, trying to figure out just what he was doing, just what what going on here. Then something fell nearby and he whirled, wand up. He was pale, she noted, and shaking.  
“Granger. What are you doing in here?”  
“I could ask you the same thing.” She didn’t take out her own wand, she just walked towards him. “What is this?”  
His wand hand was shaking horribly now, so badly he could barely aim his wand.  
“A vanishing cabinet.” He snapped the words and gestured with his wand. “Get back.”  
He almost sounded like himself, almost. But after several years of bullying at his hands, Hermione was very familiar with the tones of his voice, with the particular ways his speech could convey his emotions. This wasn’t the arrogant toady or the proud little boy who knew that his father would hear about this latest insult. No, he was lost and scared.  
“What are you doing?”  
He took a deep breath.  
“Fixing it.”  
She was almost surprised that he was being honest. At the same time though, maybe he didn’t want to do…whatever they wanted him to do.  
“Why?”  
He couldn’t meet her eyes anymore and she took another step closer.  
“I said get back!”  
His wand shook so hard as he tried to threaten with it. Finally, something in her snapped and Hermione grabbed his wand hand, holding him so the tip touched her chest.  
“If you really want me gone, do it. I know you’re doing something in here and I could easily tell the professors. But I don’t think you want that. I don’t think you really, honestly want to do this.”  
“Granger-“  
“Listen to me, Malfoy. Just this once, alright? I know perfectly well that you’re doing whatever it is you’re doing on Voldemort’s orders.”  
“Don’t say his name!”  
“And I know that whatever you’re doing, you’re scared. I can help you. I can help you find a way to not have to do this.”  
He looked down then.  
“I have to.”  
“No one has to do anything.” She paused and let go of his hand, his arm dropping to his side. “Malfoy… No, Draco. Draco, if this is a vanishing cabinet. Those come in sets, right?”  
He looked for a moment like he wasn’t going to answer, but slowly he nodded.  
“Yes.”  
“And you know where the other one of the set is.”  
“Yes.”  
She took a look at the cabinet again and then back at him.  
“Where are they going to come through from?”  
His eyes went huge and he took a step back from her.  
“How? How did you know?”  
“I guessed. It has to be somewhere where they control the other end.” Then she paused. “You would let Death Eaters into the school? With your friends?”  
He looked away again. Then the final piece of the puzzle fell into place in her mind.  
“It’s broken, isn’t it? That’s why you can’t let them through yet.”  
He just nodded dumbly.  
“Draco, I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll help you fix this. But you have to promise me something.”  
“Are you completely daft, Granger?”  
“Hear my terms and we’ll see if you still think that. If I help you fix this, you have to tell me when it’s done and you have to promise me that you’ll think long and hard before you let them in here.”  
Draco paused and then nodded, holding out his hand.  
“Deal.”  
She took his hand in her own.  
“Then let’s get to work.”

* * *

 

Draco was bent over a table, going through the calculations one last time, and then looked up at Hermione smiling.  
“I think I’ve got it.”  
“Let me have a look at your numbers.”  
He slid the paper across the table, a smug smile on his face, and she accepted it. Looking through the math, she chewed on the tip of her quill. After a long moment, she nodded slowly.  
“This looks…sound.”  
There was a look of uncertainty on her face as she passed it back over and it struck a chord in him. Draco touched her hand as he took the paper.  
“We still have to spend a day or so getting it lined up on the cabinet and then two more days of testing, Granger.”  
She smiled and he felt a mirroring expression cross his own face. Taking wands in hand, they both stood and went to the cabinet to start making the necessary modifications to the spell.  
“You know something, Draco? If you’ve always been this clever, I’m stunned you didn’t beat me in classes more often.”  
He scoffed.  
“Why would I want to, you swot? I was busy having fun.”  
“As if I wasn’t.”  
She actually laughed then and he couldn’t help himself. He laughed as well.

* * *

 

Hermione opened the cabinet doors and placed the apple inside.  
“Here we go.”  
Closing the cabinet doors, she turned to look at him. He nodded slowly.  
“And now, we wait.”  
It didn’t take long. Just a few minutes before they opened the cabinet again and found a note from Draco’s mystery contact.  
“It worked.”  
Hermione looked stunned for half a second and then real pride crossed her face.  
“It did.”  
His voice was quiet, fear creeping back in for the first time since she had started working with him.  
“Draco, we can stop this. If we go tell the professors, we can stop this.”  
He looked down.  
“I…I broke the deal. Or…well…I lied from the beginning. They’re coming.” Her eyes were huge and there were tears in his. He couldn’t look at her anymore as he continued. “I knew from the beginning that as soon as they knew it was working, they’d come through. Hermione, I’m sorry.” He pulled her into a hug, his face gone entirely pale. “You’re…you’re brilliant and you’re nothing like I thought. Run. Go. Warn whoever you want, but get away from here before…” There were tears on his cheeks now. “My aunt is coming, and Greyback. Go!”  
He didn’t have to tell her again. She hugged him back.  
“Draco, I’m sorry.”  
Then she ran. He took the scant time he had to clean his face and compose himself, silently urging her to go to Gryffindor Tower and stay there far away from where the fighting would no doubt take place.  
I’m sorry I’m not brave like you, Hermione.  
Eyes dry and clothes straightened, he turned to face the cabinet once more. The Malfoy mask slipped back into place and he buried his emotions deep inside. He couldn’t afford to show weakness now.


End file.
